Motorist held after bomb threat

ON GUARD: Members of the Secret Service uniformed division patrol alongside the security fence around the
perimeter of the White House in Washington in the wake of a security scare. PICTURE: AFP PHOTO

ONE person was in custody after a suspicious vehicle drove up to a White House checkpoint on Saturday night, the Secret Service said, after CNN reported that the driver claimed to have a bomb.

CNN, citing two law enforcement sources, said there was no confirmation of any device in the vehicle but that security at the White House had been upgraded.

The Secret Service said an unidentified driver was taken into custody after a suspicious vehicle approached a checkpoint, but made no mention of any claims of an explosive device. Several streets around the White House were closed.

Other authorities could not be reached immediately to confirm more details. It was the second scare at the White House on Saturday after a person earlier jumped over a bike rack in a buffer zone in front of the White House.

US President Donald Trump was in Florida at the time of both incidents. In the first incident, the unidentified person was not able to make it over the fence into the grounds, White House spokesperson Sean Spicer said on Twitter.

Two Secret Service agents reportedly tackled the individual in that incident, which occurred at the start of a buffer zone between the main White House fence and the sidewalks.

The Secret Service had been criticised after it said a man who scaled the White House fence last week was on the property grounds for 16 minutes before being detained. – Reuters